Tuesday Word: chugger

[ellesieg.livejournal.com]

Chugger is a portmanteau of "charity" and "mugger." A slang term, it refers to an overly aggressive charity worker, often a paid employee, who solicits members of the general public for signatures, donations or commitments to volunteer shifts. Acceptable strategies for escaping from chuggers include plugging your ears with your fingers and chanting "Na, na, na, na, I can't hear you" or screaming "I DON'T CARE ABOUT STARVING CHILDREN" while jaywalking through a busy intersection. Otherwise you may find yourself ironing a British media mogul's newspapers every morning for a month straight, or maybe you'll end up the proud owner of a share in a North Korean ostrich farm. Or, more likely, you'll donate to an actual charity but feel oddly conflicted, pleased that you have contributed to a good cause but annoyed that you went through THAT jerk to do it.